Swati Iyengar, LSW
Swati Iyengar, a Licensed Social Worker, specializes in helping teens, adults, and older individuals address mental health challenges including trauma, depression, anxiety, interpersonal conflict, and grief. She integrates mindfulness, self-compassion, dialectics (also known as both/and thinking – an approach that helps clients consider a situation from different angles in order to approach the truth, even if it’s messy or complicated), Arts-based therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotional Behavioral therapy, Yoga, and Buddhist psychology into her therapeutic approach.
Swati, a multilingual therapist, is fluent in English, Hindi, and Marathi, and speaks Punjabi proficiently. Growing up in Mumbai, a city known for its multiculturalism, afforded her the opportunity to connect with individuals from a diverse array of cultural backgrounds. Throughout her life, she has cultivated relationships with individuals from various Indian regions including Gujarat, Marwar, Goa, Kerala, and Kashmir, providing her with valuable insight into the cultural intricacies and nuances of India’s diverse population. Swati offers a non-judgmental therapeutic environment for her clients approaching her work with cultural humility and inclusivity. Swati believes in the resilience and inherent capacity for healing and growth of her clients, respecting the uniqueness of their experiences.
Swati brings extensive experience to her clients from roles at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Princeton House Behavioral Health, and various local and international agencies, hospitals, outpatient, and partial hospitalization settings. She is dedicated to increasing public awareness of mental health and combating the stigma surrounding help-seeking behaviors. Swati has expertise in helping clients identify and address irrational beliefs contributing to emotional distress and behavior issues. She routinely educates her clients on methods for enhancing self-esteem, discovering meaning, and addressing and regulating emotional difficulties like anger and anxiety. In her work with clients, Swati emphasizes stress management as a crucial component of mental wellness.
Swati genuinely enjoys assisting clients in enhancing their relationships by focusing on interpersonal effectiveness. She helps clients address common concerns such as understanding why their relationships may fail, why conflicts tend to escalate, and why they experience feelings of loneliness or fear of abandonment. Swati also educates clients on using active listening skills as a practical method to improve their relationships.
Self-compassion and realistic self-worth play a crucial role in mental and emotional well-being. They involve understanding and accepting oneself while striving for personal growth. Swati’s approach emphasizes self-acceptance, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, engaging in growth-promoting activities, and avoiding harmful comparisons. Swati teaches her clients to attend to themselves, challenging unhelpful labels and beliefs, stay present and grounded during distressing situations, and prioritize self-care.
Swati is passionate about helping her clients develop critical thinking skills. Swati’s guidance empowers clients to improve reflective thinking skills, adapt and shift thinking strategies, break down complex problems into manageable components, and embrace open-mindedness and consider diverse perspectives. These abilities contribute to her clients’ personal growth in home, school, work, and social circles.
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